The present invention relates to a vehicle seat assembly including an integral child seat and in particular to a seat assembly for a passenger car vehicle. The integral seat is conveniently stored within the seat back of the seat assembly enabling the seat assembly to be used by an adult passenger. When desired, the child seat can be deployed for use in providing seating for a small child.
Child seats, integrally formed with an adult seat of a motor vehicle, have recently become a popular option offered by many vehicle manufacturers. Initially, such seat assemblies were available only in van type vehicles. In vans, the seat assembly is mounted to the vehicle floor. The seat belts for adult passengers are also mounted to the floor such that restraint loads are transferred directly from the belts to the vehicle floor structure. The seat belts for the child seat assembly, however, transfer the belt loads to the seat back where the loads are carried through the seat assembly structure and ultimately to the vehicle floor structure.
Child seats are now being integrated into seat assemblies for passenger car vehicles. In developing such seats, two approaches have been taken. One approach is to form a child seat module that is provided as a single unit attached to the existing frame of the seat assembly when the child seat option is desired. The other approach is to provide a unique seat frame and structure for the vehicle seat assembly incorporating a child seat. The module approach provides for ease in manufacture of the seat but makes certain compromises that result in a less comfortable seat assembly as well as adding excess weight to the seat assembly. In addition, the path for the child seat belt loads proceeds from the belts to the child seat module, from the module to the seat back frame and from the seat back frame to the motor vehicle body.
With a unique frame for seat assemblies that include a child seat, and by attaching the individual child seat components directly to the seat back frame, the load path for the child seat belt loads can be shortened to transfer the loads directly from the child seat belts to the seat frame. The seat frame components carrying the seat belt load can be directly mounted to the vehicle structure creating a short and efficient load path to minimize the quantity of load carrying components in the seat assembly and thus reducing the weight of the seat assembly.
In typical vehicle designs with the seat belts attached directly to the vehicle structure, the seat assembly itself does not carry any of the seat belt loads. Thus, in a vehicle collision, the only forces acting on the seat structure will be due to the mass of the seat assembly. As a result, in a rear bench seat assembly, the seat back is normally only attached to the vehicle floor pan at the base of the seat back. At the upper end of the seat back, a hook or other retaining means may be provided to engage the shelf behind the seat back to limit forward deflection but this is not a strong attachment of the seat back to the shelf back.
With an integral child seat, the seat back will be required to carry the belt loads from the child seat. It is now desirable to provide additional load carrying attachments of the seat back to the motor vehicle.
According to the present invention, the seat back frame is attached directly to the vehicle shelf through a load carrying bracket. Preferably, the bracket is attached to that component of the seat back frame to which the child seat belt loads are applied to create a short and direct path for the belt loads.
Further objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following description and the appended claims when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.